Overview
Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina (SHFBM) strives through education, advocacy, and partnerships to eliminate hunger by the solicitation and distribution of food. SHFBM has been in existence since 1981.
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Ms. Marsh noticed that Miguel was having difficulty paying attention one morning in her first grade class. He was bright and usually eager to learn, so she was concerned. When she took him aside and gently asked him what was wrong. In a sad, little voice he answered, "It’s hard to pay attention because my stomach’s growling. It wasn’t my turn to eat breakfast today."
Miguel now participates in Second Harvest Food Bank’s Kids Cafe program. He comes to the center in his neighborhood after school where he gets a snack, help with his homework, and plays outside.
Two nights a week he gets a nutritious hot dinner. Because she can save the money she would have spent on dinner for her children those two nights, Miguel's mother can give both he and his brother breakfast every morning.
Ms. Elizabeth Ray is 72 and lives alone. Her only income is from social security and a small pension her husband left her. Her arthritis makes it very difficult for her to move about, so she does not leave her small apartment often. Lately, preparing meals has become more and more difficult; and her health is beginning to suffer because of malnutrition.
This week Ms. Ray began receiving daily home delivered meals from a Second Harvest Food Bank partner agency. A friendly volunteer arrives at her house midday with a hot, nutritious meal. There is usually enough for part of her dinner that night as well.
Sam and Martha are married with four children, ages 6 to 3 months. They have come to Charlotte with a prayer to find a better life for their family. Sam is a machinist. He found a job quickly, and they moved into an apartment. After a few months, however, his shop closed; and before he could find another job, they fell behind on their rent and lost their apartment. The Department of Social Services intervened and placed the children in foster care. Sam and Martha felt lost and hopeless.
Fortunately, someone at DSS referred Sam and Martha to a crisis center that receives food from Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina. At the center, they found people who treated them with kindness and dignity. A counselor helped them to make a plan to find jobs and a place to live. The center would help them with some expenses and with food when they found a place. Meanwhile they stayed in a shelter and ate at a soup kitchen that are both Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina partner agencies.
Faces of Hunger
